US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo completed a closely watched two-day visit to Greece on Tuesday, replete with very high-proflle talks with Greek leadership and tours of military installations on the island of Crete, where he stressed that "Greece is a pillar of stability in the region."
Speaking less than a month after Turkish aggressiveness and saber-rattling in the eastern Mediterranean reached unprecedented levels, Pompeo arrived in Thessaloniki and, a day later, travelled to Crete to meet with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and tour the Souda base and anchorage.
The latter is at the forefront of Greek-US talks to significantly expand military cooperation, with the US side announcing the homeporting of the USS Hershel "Woody" Williams, a helicopter carrier, at Souda.
Pompeo cited the strategic choice to homeport the warship at the Souda anchorage, given its strategic position.
Referring to Greek-Turkish affairs, he said that the US supports discussion between NATO members, "as between Turkey and Greece", adding that he has spoken with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the progress being made in NATO and expressing the hope that these talks can continue in a serious way.
